North Texas water giants forge regional supply and infrastructure pact

North Texas water giants forge regional supply and infrastructure pactThe Tarrant Regional Water District, North Texas Municipal Water District, and Dallas Water Utilities have agreed to a non-binding framework to share water resources and optimize infrastructure, aiming to delay costly capital projects while boosting regional drought resilience.

TRWD approved the Interlocal Agreement on September 15, 2026, setting the stage for Dallas and NTMWD to consider the pact later in the month.

The framework explores raw and treated water transactions, reuse water utilization, and joint storage partnerships.

Potential infrastructure collaborations include Integrated Pipeline (IPL) to Dallas connections and treated water system interconnections.

The agreement aims to bridge the gap until larger, long-term water supply projects can be brought online for the region's rapidly growing population.

The Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) Board of Directors has approved a landmark Interlocal Agreement with the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) and the City of Dallas to establish a regional framework for water supply cooperation. Approved during the board's September 15, 2026 meeting, the pact aims to enhance the reliability, resiliency, and cost-effectiveness of water delivery across a combined service area of roughly seven million people. The non-binding agreement formalizes a collaborative approach to strategic planning, infrastructure optimization, and the potential sharing, purchase, or sale of water and treatment capacity. According to Rachel Ickert, TRWD's Chief Engineering Officer, the framework will help the utilities maximize existing assets while preparing for future demands. "We are looking at some very strategic and specific opportunities coming up that will help bridge us to that larger water supply that we all know that we need to be bringing online relatively soon," Ickert told the board. "In working together and in sharing resources and potentially infrastructure, we think that we can stretch out the needs just a little bit, just long enough to get that larger project implemented." The agreement outlines several potential collaboration initiatives, including raw water transactions using existing infrastructure, treated water interconnections between NTMWD and Dallas, and the treatment of temporary surplus reuse water in existing or planned wetland systems. The utilities will also explore joint funding and development of off-channel reservoirs for storing raw or reuse water. Specific infrastructure collaborations highlighted in the agreement text include connections between the Integrated Pipeline (IPL) and the Dallas system, the Dallas Main Stem Balancing Reservoir, and interconnections involving Lake Fork and Lake Tawakoni. While the agreement does not obligate any party to expend funds or transfer water, it establishes a Joint Coordination Group to share planning data, evaluate projects, and develop recommendations. TRWD's approval sets the stage for the Dallas City Council and the NTMWD board to consider the agreement later in the month.